Daysailers in New Jersey (Barnegat Bay area)??

Geronimo · Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 26 Location: Forked River, NJ

First let me thank the class for having this website. It's a great souce for answers to my long list of questions.

I recently bought a '70 DS1 that I'm hoping to race some day with my son. I understand that DS's race on Spruce Run resevoir, but I have several questions ie... club members only?, how intense is the racing?, how many boats usually?, does anyone ever race non-spinnaker?,....

Who can I contact?

Also, if anyone from the Jersey Shore would like to get something going, let me know. My club has three boats that might be willing to do some casual racing (is there a such thing ?).

Thanks,
Andy

Geronimo · Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 26 Location: Forked River, NJ

This is a follow-up to my previous post.

I've had the boat for almost a year now and it's been more fun than I expected. My wife and 9 year old boy love it and it gets a lot of complements around the yacht club.

The club that I belong to is a very casual, small-boat oriented club named Pine Beach Yacht Club. It's located on the Toms River in New Jersey which is a great body of water for small-boat sailing.

Over the past few years a good sized Sunfish fleet has developed that has gotten a lot of people sailing and racing that may have never considered it. Some have gotten very good and want to try other boats, but the next step up so far has been PHRF (big boats).

The perfect boat to fill that void turns out to be the Daysailer. We now have three DS-1's and two DS-2's at the club and I'm sure that more are in the area. We raced informally this Summer just to learn the boats and test out the Portsmouth yardstick. Originally we thought we might have to do handicaping races to drum up small sloop interest, but the Daysailer looks like it may be in a class all by itself.

We hope to host some kind of DS event next season. I will convince our group to join the class and maybe a new fleet will be born.

Thanks,
Andy #3877 Oofah!

wharfside · Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2005 8:49 pm Post subject:

post away - I will make the trip down next summer
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1992 Sunfish Laser Daysailer #14002
1984 26' Bertram Sport Convertible
2004 12' Carolina Skiff

Geronimo · Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 26 Location: Forked River, NJ

I just wanted to refresh this thread in case any DS owners want to get involved in our growing fleet. At the Pine Beach Yacht Club we now have 4 DS-1's and 3 DS-2's. We have been tacking a Portsmouth handicapped fleet onto our club's big boat phrf summer series. The DS's are the the buzz on the dock as they've been performing great and and look good doing it. For the time being, we are sailing non-spinnaker to keep it simple. Our next and final summer series date is August 20. PM me for details if interested.

The DS's will probably do some more racing on the Toms River in the Fall.
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Andy from the Jersey Shore
"oofah!" DS-1 #3877

Wyatt · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 31 Location: Washington, NJ

Hi Andy:

I live 15 minutes from Spruce Run Reservoir and bought an old DS1 about a month ago. The boat needs some work but is a ton of fun. We've had it out about 6 times on Spruce Run.

There's no DS racing there that I can tell, although there are about 3 or 4 Daysailers including ours. The folks at the Hunterdon Sailing Club told me there used to be a DS class but no longer. I haven't been able to ascertain the status of DS Fleet 86, which is supposedly based in nearby Clinton.

Anyhow, we'd be interested in coming down to Toms River maybe later this Fall but probably next year. I want to make sure the boat and crew are totally shipshape before hitting saltwater.

Regards,

Wyatt

Geronimo · Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 26 Location: Forked River, NJ

Hello Wyatt,

Thanks for the interest in our fleet. The Daysailer is really catching on down here. Our boats are all works in progress. Each of us has a wish list of improvements for our boats, but we're too busy sailing them to get to the list.

Beachwood Yacht Club will be hosting their annual Fall series in a couple of weeks. They are going to give the DS's their own start. It is a 4 week series on Sundays. If anyone would want to test the waters on the Toms River, this would be a good opportunity. Boats can be set up and hoisted in at the Pine Beach Yacht Club. Even a daytrip to sample one day of the series would be worthwhile to sample our scene.

Don't think of the Toms River as "saltwater". It is actually brackish water that is more fresh than salt. It behaves more like a lake with negligible current and plenty of bluffs around to create some challenging (frustrating) windshifts.

See ya sometime,
Andy
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Andy from the Jersey Shore
"oofah!" DS-1 #3877

dsheer · Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 63 Location: Columbia, Md

Andy,

If you're racing non-spinaker (I don't have one yet) then I might be enticed to make the trip from Baltimore. Let me know when you schedule a race

Dan

Geronimo · Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 26 Location: Forked River, NJ

Dan,

None of us have spinakers either. So far the low-tech nature of the DS has been a major part of its charm. Some day a couple of us will probably want to get involved in racing with spinakers, but for now we're keeping it simple.

Come on up. It takes me about 3 1/2 hours to get to Baltimore. PM me for details. The series is 4 Sundays in a row starting on Sep 17. FYI the DS's won't be sailing the on the last day, October 8, because most of us will be goofing off down at the small craft festival at St. Michaels, MD.

Andy
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Andy from the Jersey Shore
"oofah!" DS-1 #3877

tuctdls · Joined: 08 May 2005 Posts: 10 Location: NJ

I sailed the bay for 24 years in my DS1. I moved up to an S2. I would love to find someone to love my old DS1. Wood work is like new and yes it is complete with a spinnaker.

Don
dsmith@fpcusa.com

bm1981 · Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 11 Location: NJ

Bump...

you guys still out there?

Geronimo · Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 26 Location: Forked River, NJ

I'm still here and we have a Summer series underway with a date scheduled for this Sunday, July 25. The DS's race in a Portsmouth fleet. Our club has 4 DS's. 3-1's and a 2. This all goes on in the Toms River from the Pine Beach Yacht Club.

I'm open for some gunkholing in the Barnegat Bay if anyone is interested.
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Andy from the Jersey Shore
"oofah!" DS-1 #3877

Wyatt · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 31 Location: Washington, NJ

Dear Andy:

I sail on Spruce Run and am a member of the Hunterdon Sailing Club which hosts the weekly racing.

I don't race with the club on a regular basis. There are only two active Daysailers with the club-- mine and one another, and the other sailor is a very active and proficient Force 5 sailor as well.

There are, however, a fair number of Daysailers on Spruce Run, but it seems to be a mellower, cruising crowd.

If you feel like coming up, I'd be glad to meet you and show you the ropes. Unfortunately, we will be away from August 8 through the 20th. Also, if you do come up, make sure and check for winds. Spruce Run is notorious for dead wind days in August and you don't want to drive all the way up here for that.

Regards,

Wyatt
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DS1 2922

Geronimo · Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 26 Location: Forked River, NJ

Hi Wyatt,
Thanks for the invite. I may take you up on your offer next Spring We've camped at Spruce Run and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately this Summer and Fall are both very busy for us. I can also offer to show you around my home field on the Toms River and Barnegat Bay. The power boats decrease after labor day and the Fall sailing is great.
Andy
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Andy from the Jersey Shore
"oofah!" DS-1 #3877